Charge Up Midwest

Chevy Volt in Ann Arbor, MI available through car sharing company Maven

The Ecology Center is a key player in a new Midwest partnership aimed at increasing electric vehicle deployment in the region. Charge Up Midwest is a campaign comprised of environmental and clean energy organizations committed to helping the Midwest minimize carbon emissions from the transportation sector. Campaign partners seek to engage with a broad range of stakeholders to support actions that increase investment in electric vehicle infrastructure, create a more resilient and low-carbon grid, expand education of the public and policymakers about the benefits of electric vehicles, and otherwise accelerate the production, sales, and access to electric vehicles in the region for all Midwest residents.

Recently, Midwest Energy News covered Charge Up Midwest’s proposal to Volkswagen’s Zero Emission Vehicle Investment Plan created after their emissions-cheating scandal. The proposal highlighted the opportunities to strategically deploy charging infrastructure in a region that is primed for greater electric vehicle adoption. The campaign proposed working collaboratively with utility companies and other entities to expand and deploy charging infrastructure, and cautioned against displacing existing and proposed infrastructure plans.

The ChargeUp Midwest campaign is already working with electric utilities to expand and strengthen electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the region, and conducting research into the economic and environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Charge Up Midwest’s campaign partners are made up of organizations that work in Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio.

Interested in learning more about electric vehicle options in the Midwest? Check out Plug-in Midwest to find out more!

News

Today, the Michigan Public Service Commission issued an order that establishes a February conference in its electric vehicle (EV) stakeholder process and invites stakeholder input on pilot programs for the State’s electric utilities

In Indiana, school is in session an estimated 650,000 children in communities across the state are climbing onto about 13,000 big yellow school buses every day. Unfortunately, many of these buses are still powered by dirty, diesel engines that cause asthma attacks.

News Channel 3 covers a new report on the economic benefits of EV expansion. Charge Up Midwest recruited energy consultants, M.J. Bradley & Associates, to perform an economic analysis of the use of electric vehicles in the state of Michigan.

New Illinois Report Released

A Letter to Volkswagen Jan. 18th, 2017

Along with our Midwest allies, we urged VW to create a coordinated, transparent program to develop EV infrastructure, education, and outreach programs that will mitigate air pollution, safeguard our climate, and strengthen our economy.